“Stranger Things 2” Deserves an 11 Out of 10

Zoe Robinson, Staff Writer

After months of anticipation, Netflix released season two of the popular sci-fi show “Stranger Things” last month.

The season opener got a lot of attention. According to Netflix, episode one—titled MADMAX—averaged a whopping 15.8 million views in the U.S.

After binge-watching the season within a week—as the average Netflix user does when his or her favorite show releases a new season—it’s safe to say that creators Matt and Ross Duffer have successfully outdone themselves once again.

The season will literally have you gasping, asking questions and thinking (or screaming) “wait, what?” within the very first 10 minutes.

The episode starts with a group of people running out of a building in masks and getting chased by the police, finally getting away after the mysterious new character Kali does something eerily similar to Eleven’s strange powers. The scene cuts off after she brings light to a concept that hadn’t been entirely recognized in the first season: the other numbered children.

The show then goes into the lives of the wonderful original characters—Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Will—and also introduces a few more—Bob, Max and Billy.

The Duffer brothers take no time getting into the scary and mysterious conflict of the season.

As opposed to the first season in which the antagonist is the bloodthirsty Demogorgon that is after Eleven and Will, season two delves deeper into the Upside Down revealing an even bigger antagonist that looks kind of like a giant shadow spider.

Meanwhile, Eleven is on her own adventure discovering her past and doesn’t even reunite with the boys until the very end of the season. The two genuinely different storylines in this season is refreshing and keeps the viewer from getting bored, while keeping him or her eager to see Mike and El reunite.

The end of the season does get a little odd, with an entire seemingly out-of-place episode seven dedicated to Kali and Eleven, and Will looking like he belongs in an episode of “Supernatural.”

However, the ending of every episode had me dying to know what happened next, and once again the amazing cast made me fall in love with the silly group of 80s kids all over again.

With a third season planned and the possibility for a fourth season, it’s hard to imagine what more could possibly happen in the poor little town of Hawkins.

But I’m excited nevertheless.